The elevated plus maze for the assessment of activity and anxiety in a wild subterranean rodent: role of illumination and mystacial vibrissae

• Schleich, Cristian ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata

     Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata

     Argentina

     
• Localización: Revista Argentina de Ciencias del Comportamiento ( RACC ), ISSN-e 1852-4206, Vol. 18, Nº. 1, 2026 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Revista Argentina de Ciencias del Comportamiento), págs. 68-75
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.32348/1852.4206.v18.n1.42878
• Títulos paralelos:
  • El laberinto elevado en cruz y su utilización en la evaluación de la actividad y ansiedad en un roedor subterráneo silvestre: rol de la iluminación y de las vibrisas mistaciales
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• Resumen
  • español

    El laberinto en cruz elevado (LE) se utiliza ampliamente para evaluar el comportamiento de ansiedad. Varios factores pueden influir el comportamiento en el LE. En el caso de los roedores subterráneos, tanto los niveles de iluminación como la eliminación de las vibrisas pueden ejercer efectos profundos en su comportamiento. Se investigó el comportamiento del roedor subterráneo silvestre Ctenomys talarum en el LE bajo dos niveles de iluminación en combinación con la eliminación de las vibrisas mistaciales. Las condiciones de iluminación y la eliminación de las vibrisas no afectaron los parámetros de ansiedad. Además, la baja intensidad de iluminación provocó un aumento de la distancia recorrida por los tuco-tucos (C. talarum), aunque la ausencia de vibrisas provocó una clara disminución de la exploración. Tanto las características de historia de vida como las condiciones experimentales deben tenerse en cuenta al utilizar el LE para evaluar la ansiedad y otros parámetros de comportamiento

  • English

    The elevated plus maze (EPM) test is widely used for assessing anxiety-like behavior. A variety of factors and procedural variables can influence behavior in the EPM. In the case of subterranean rodents, which spend most of their lives in constant darkness and are exposed to extensive somatosensory stimuli, both illumination levels and vibrissae removal can exert profound effects on their EPM behavior. Hence, the behavior of a wild subterranean rodent, Ctenomys talarum, was investigated in the EPM under two contrasting illumination levels in combination with removal of mystacial vibrissae. Illumination conditions and vibrissal removal did not affect transparent arm exploration in the EPM. Besides, low illumination intensity caused an increase in the distance traveled by tuco-tucos (C. talarum), although absence of vibrissae caused a clear exploration decrement. Both life-history characteristics and experimental conditions must be taken into account when using the EPM to assess anxiety and other behavioral parameters

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